D.J. Strawberry was out of his element.
Strawberry a natural wing player, found himself running the point for the Maryland men?s basketball team last season. That, however, will no longer be the case this year.
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While the 6-foot-5 senior said playing point guard improved his game and that he is willing to play anywhere on the floor, he?ll move back to his natural position this season. Strawberry may play point guard on occasion, but with the Terps bringing in two freshman point guards in Eric Hayes and Greivis Vasquez, the senior will be able to slide back over to the wing.
“We have a lot of guards that can play,” Strawberry said.
Before the Terps? first practice Saturday, coach Gary Williams alluded to the fact that Maryland could play a three- or even a four-guard set this year because of the team?s depth.
“You will see that across the country,” Williams said of the three-guard set. “Viillanova, last year, played four guards at a time. I have even thought about doing that.”
Williams learned the benefits of a four-guard lineup when he coached at American University, which did not have many quality big men at the time.
“We would play four guards and a center and we would have trouble guarding the other team sometimes, but then they would have trouble guarding us,” Williams said.
Asked if the possibility of a guard-heavy lineup on the floor made him happy, senior guard Mike Jones said, “It does at times. We have tremendous athletes on the team, and we have a lot of guards that can handle the ball.”
Jones, along with center Will Bowers, touched on one problem from last year that could be fixed with good guard play in 2006-07.
“We have three or four point guards on the team right now, which makes it easier to get the ball inside,” Bowers said.
The formula will be simple for Williams regarding how many guards he?ll put on the floor throughout the season.
“I have always tried to play our best players and get our best players out there,” Williams said. “This year will not be any different.”
GUARDENING
» Even though he was out of position last season, D.J. Strawberry averaged 10.3 points per game and led the Terps with 128 assists.
» Mike Jones was a sharp-shooter for Maryland last year. His perimeter shot landed him 61 three-pointers, the most on the team
